CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Burn

What else was Lanzo supposed to do when he received that damned text message? Just toss it to the side and not think about it again? Not tell Gilbert about it and let him find out when his friends and family members returned in body bags?

No.

Lanzo was not that type of person and he wasn't planning to become that type of person. So he blocked out any hesitation he had and outright shoved the phone in Gilbert's face. Then he looked away, not really sure if he wanted to find out what his reaction would end up being. The room fell silent and, for a moment, Lanzo thought Gilbert hadn't even read the message in the first place. It was just so quiet and he had expected Gilbert to start cursing or questioning him or just yelling random nonsense. But he didn't and that's what caught Lanzo off guard. When he looked back Gilbert had a blank expression on his face, but his eyes were the window to his true emotion.

Fear.

Fear and anger. Lanzo only hoped that Gilbert wouldn't attempt to cover that fear up with blind rage that would likely be directed towards him. He was, after all, a Two-P and it would seem that the most obvious reaction to the situation would be to attack a Two-P. But instead Gilbert stumbled over to a chair and sat down. He pulled one hand into a fist and the other covered it, leaving them on his knees before he placed them in front of his mouth and averted his eyesight to the ground.

Lanzo was unsure whether or not to comfort Gilbert or to leave. He slipped his phone away and waited for Gilbert to do anything. Anything at all. A good five minutes later he earned a reply. "Did you know about this?" He asked, closing his eyes as he spoke. Lanzo looked away even though he knew that Gilbert couldn't see him.

"Somewhat..." It was the truth.

"So you could've told me before, when I had the chance to change it?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then explain it to me betrüger." Gilbert spat, opening his eyes once again. They were fierce and made Lanzo feel uneasy. His stare was intense and Lanzo felt as if Gilbert was looking right through him, seeing all the lies and destruction he's caused.

All the misery.

Lanzo opened his mouth to speak but found the words that he required missing. And in reality he wasn't sure what to say. Was he just to tell Gilbert all the secrets he had been bestowed upon by the Two-Ps themselves, only to shatter all the trust he had earned with them only because of sorrow? Or was he just to keep his trap shut and hope for the best in the end?

"Well?" Gilbert yelled, Lanzo flinching ever so slightly. But he couldn't reply. He didn't have one. "Say something arschloch, I dare you." Gilbert hissed.

Lanzo didn't take the threat very seriously at first. He easily expected such a thing to come from Gilbert. He was pissed after all. It was obvious. But what he didn't expect was for Gilbert to stand up, pull out a luger, and place the barrel under Lanzo's chin. His eyes widened when he felt the cold metal pressed against his skin. He couldn't tell whether or not a finger was on the trigger, but he wouldn't even think about moving his head an inch or so just to find out.

"So tell me Lanzo, were you lying to me this whole fucking time!? Were you just trying to use me? Some sort of 'Get close to the enemy' bullshit? Go ahead, explain it all to me. Tell me what was going on. Maybe then I'll decide against blowing your fucking brains out!" Gilbert grasped the other by his collar and Lanzo knew that his counterpart was serious, likely one of the few times he ever was. But freaking out wouldn't help him in any way. He needed to stay calm. Taking a deep breath he met eyes with Gilbert.

"Look, there's obviously a lot you need to know, but killing me won't do shit for either of us. It won't solve your questions or my own damn problems. So if you want your answers anytime soon then you have to help me."

"Why should I help you?" Gilbert nearly jumped when Lanzo's left arm grabbed his own wrist and squeezed it tight. It was a pure miracle that he hadn't accidentally pulled the trigger and ended him right there.

"Because it seems like we both have the same enemy at this point. Someone wants your friends dead and someone is going to want me dead once they find out what I've done. But we don't have time for that. The clock is ticking Gilbert, and if we don't get a move on then we might lose our last chance to do something about this. We're already behind, taking any longer will only increase their chances of dying." The room fell silent. Even Shay had stopped moving. Reality seemed to have struck and Gilbert was brought out of the violent trance he had been enrolled in.

But that didn't change the fact that he was still mad and was still willing to shoot if required. "Then what do you want me to do." Gilbert asked, lowering the gun. Lanzo let go of the grip he had attained on his counterpart's wrist, knowing that the other would likely be in a bit of pain after that.

"Do you own a car?"

. . .

Oh this wasn't good.

No not good at all.

Not once in his life was Oliver found pacing nervously for a reason this major, this drastic. It was a reason that did not just concern himself or some poor sap he may or may not have poisoned on accident in the streets. No it was much much worse than that.

Much bigger. And that's what made him nervous.

His happy-go-lucky attitude gone down the drain within a few words. Oh he wished he had never looked through those papers in that backpack. It would've saved him the stress. No, he wished he hadn't even come on this trip in the first place. Now that he looked back at it, it would seem that he made a lot of questionable decisions.

But everyone did at one point in time.

After the explosions went off there was some cheering from the more energetic ones but Oliver was far too tense to bother with any of that. Most were occupied with their own tasks at hand. Andrew had to haul a crying Feliciano back into the van before Sebastian was tasked with tending to his wounds. Leonardo had followed him and Jian boasted about how good a job both himself and Viktor had done with planting the bombs. Allan was acting as calm as ever despite the fact he had basically set someone on fire. Jean seemed to be watching Luciano while Kuro fully bandaged Kasper's head.

Oliver couldn't keep the burden of holding this information he had in secret. Someone needed to know and something needed to be done about it.

The main question was who was he to tell? Better yet, who would believe him? Who would believe the words that would speak the truth yet seem so fake in the end? No one would go against Luciano's word. He seemed to be the one that would lead them all to victory against their counterparts in the end. That's what it all seemed like. That's what Oliver thought. But it was all a lie.

A sick, sick lie.

Luciano was doing nothing but using them. Every last one of them. For his own disgusting deeds. The papers, written with Luciano's own hand, held the truth. Yet they were all burned in the fire that now engulfed the house before them. Then the thought came across him. It was so obvious that Oliver didn't even know how he had been oblivious to it all.

The one answer to his problem, and it was right in front of him the whole time.

The Brit wasted no time waiting around and immediately strolled over to Kuro. He walked as fast as he could without looking too suspicious. Not that he thought anyone was actually watching him. Everyone was occupied of sorts. Either talking or tending to others. He was relieved when he noted that Kuro was done aiding Kasper and now seemed bored out of his mind. He could only hope that spilling the secret wouldn't cause Kuro to flip out on him.

He stopped behind Kuro and tapped his shoulder. He didn't receive much more of a reaction than the other turning around with emotionless eyes that looked like they stared into the souls of just about everyone. Oliver had to admit he was a bit surprised by the expression and laughed nervously to stop himself from jumping back.

"Can I help you eyebrows?" He asked with a slight curve on his lips.

"Uhm Kuro I... can I tell you something important?" Kuro raised an eyebrow at the other's apparent nervousness.

"What is it Oliver?"

"I uh um..." Oliver stumbled over words and rubbed his head awkwardly as Kuro stared at him. It didn't help his nervousness fade away, instead increasing it as most would expect. He decided he might as well just spit it all out. In a whispered voice he spoke.

"Luciano betrayed us!" He said quickly before closing his eyes and expecting a strike to come from either Kuro or anyone eavesdropping. But it didn't come and he opened his eyes only to find Kuro's once blank face had changed and it was now replaced with an enraged one.

"What do you mean betrayed us?" Kuro spoke with murderous intentions in mind. He gripped Oliver by his vest and the Brit felt his heart nearly jump from his chest.

"H-he had us set up papers in the house. He intended for our One-Ps to read them but I did too. They were some sort of journal entries that he wrote. It was obvious that it was in his handwriting. On them was his entire plan step by step, part by part. On one of the sheets was information about our One-Ps. Apparently while he was hostage he managed to make it out with some of Arthur's notes. They stated a theory that he intended to use against us. By killing our counterparts you kill us. Gradually over time we grow weaker and weaker until we die in the end. That's why he set up the C4 in there and left them inside. He wanted to kill our counterparts, therefore killing us. That's the only reason why he hasn't killed Feliciano yet."

Kuro dropped Oliver to the ground via full realization, yet the anger had not yet dissolved. But at the least it was aimed towards another person that very well deserved it. Kuro turned around to face Luciano before making his way over there.

"Luciano you bastard!" His voice gradually got louder until it turned into a yell that was surprisingly loud. Feliciano even jumped from the van and almost ripped his bandages that were still being applied. Luciano turned quickly only to be lifted by his collar.

"You sick son of a bitch. If I had known you were going to use us and waste us I would've killed you back in World War II when you left me for fucking dead!" Even with all of this going on Luciano's smile never seized. Eyes had turned to face the two fighting. Though it wasn't really new since the two always seemed to be fighting, they didn't expect it to happen now of all times.

"I see you caught on. It was about damn time. I was starting to think you were too dumb for your own good." He tilted his head to the side slightly and his smile grew.

"I swear I will kill you you fucking piece of shit." Kuro spat. Luciano grabbed Kuro's wrist and stared him dead in the eyes, smile disappearing in an instant. The second he spoke Jean could pick out his psychopathic tone of voice. He was losing it.

"I'd like to see you try Kuro. But by that point in time you won't be strong enough to do anything. Not while your piccola cagna is dying as slowly and painfully as you will be once I'm done with you. Do you smell his flesh burning Kuro? Do you hear his screams? Do you hear him calling for you to save him?

"Where's his guardian? Where's his savior?

"Where's the boy that swore to protect him Kuro? You know where he is Kuro?

"He's watching him burn."

The hint wasn't the most obvious but Kuro understood what he meant. And it didn't help. He was tempted to sock Luciano in the jaw but time was limited. A life was on the line. He couldn't just let Kiku die, especially by Luciano's doings. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Even if it meant he would get burned in the end.

Kuro threw Luciano to the ground and bolted off towards the cabin. The roof was completely engulfed in flames as they whipped and roared at the sky. It was very well a suicide mission but he didn't care. He had to save him.

No matter their past. He took the role of a guardian very seriously. He was made to protect Japan and one way or another he would. In life and death. When Kuro rushed off Kasper had stood and attempted to grab him, but Luciano stopped him quickly.

"Don't. If he wants to die then let him die. It's not like he won't anyway." Kasper was puzzled at his words but dropped the topic. He took a step away from Luciano as he stood up and turned around to face them.

"Alright, everyone in the van. Kuro's a uomo morto, a dead man. No point in waiting for him. Let's head out!" He ordered, clapping his hands together. Everyone piled into the van almost automatically, but Sebastian watched Kuro sprint across the field, never taking his eyes off of his fleeing back. It wasn't until Kasper stopped next to him and followed his gaze that he broke away.

"Kuro's a fool. Don't bother with him." Kasper warned before getting into the front seat. Sebastian nodded slowly before climbing into the back. It would be a long drive home, plenty of time for him to think about it all.

Kuro neared the cabin and could already feel the heat that came from the erupting fire. It was faint at first but grew quickly and by the time he was at the front it had intensified. He placed a hand on the door and was relieved to feel it only warm. Which meant the fire hadn't reached that far yet. But it was only a matter of time until it would, he'd have to hurry up and find Kiku. He tried the doorknob.

It was locked. He'd have to bust his way in.

Dropping his sheath to the side he brought down his shoulder and rammed into the door. It was weak from the fire and only took two or three good hits before it fell off it's hinges. But it did so unexpectedly and he tumbled into the burning house.

He landed on the floor and stood up quickly, recovering as fast as he could. But he was instantly welcomed with a thick gust of smoke being brought into his face by the newly attained wind from the opened door. He coughed and gagged, feeling sick instantly. But he didn't let it stop him and instead crouched down to lower the amount of smoke he managed to inhale. Along with that he used his cape to cover his mouth. It wasn't the most reliable but he could still manage. He crawled across the ground, fighting for air but not giving up. He couldn't. Not now. It's not like he had before. He fought non stop in order to protect his country.

His brother.

He wandered into a hallway. One wall was engulfed in flames, the other was burnt. The wallpaper was missing to expose metal beams that wrapped around wood posts. Kuro didn't have time to question the structure of the building, he was in a rush. He came to a final room at the end of the hall and found the door gone, burnt to a crisp, fresh off the hinges.

In the doorway was a fire that licked at the roof. It was the source of the outbreak, no doubt. But Kuro was unsure whether or not the risk of going through the flames was worth it. He decided to test his luck and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Kiku!" He yelled. His voice was hoarse, likely from lack of hydration. He thought he heard a reply, one weaker than his own. But the sound of the crackling bits of fire and ash in his ears muffled it out.

"Kiku!" He yelled again, this time a bit stronger, yet not strong enough.

One last try. He brought together all the air he could muster and yelled at the top of his lungs,

"KIKU!" It felt as if all the oxygen in his lungs had been sucked out with that one word and he fell to his knees, getting into a series of coughing fits. While in his stage of dismay he swore he heard a more distant cough, but thought it as being his own. It wasn't until he regained his breath and his own coughing stopped that he fully heard the other, which had still continued.

At that point he knew some was most definitely there and in danger. Kuro crouched and listened as the roof crackled and creaked. A chunk of it even fell down infront of him, catching him off guard and forcing him to flinch. But it was that that made him push forward. It was obvious the house could cave in at any moment, and he would have to take drastic measures in order to make it out alive.

It could be arguable on whether or not Kuro had really thought his next action through to the fullest.

Some would say he had done what was necessary, others would bluntly call him an idiot.

Whatever you think is to your own opinion, one he would likely not be able to care less about. So Kuro ripped a bit of cloth off his arm, covered his face, and charged.

Right through the flaming doorway.

. . .

The second the charges went off everyone knew what was going on.

Everyone knew what would happen.

They barely had a chance to brace themselves as the world seemed to fall apart around them. If the floor didn't fall out from under them the roof fell in to crush them. They closed their eyes and waited for their end.

Yet it never seemed to come.

At first when their eyes opened it was darkness. Nothing but darkness and terrifying silence. But then as their eyes adjusted as slowly as possible, they slowly started to see the weak green fade around them. It was a circle that appeared to hold the concrete back, floating mid air.

A force field.

The source of this was unidentifiable until the others noticed Arthur's glowing eyes and it was then that they fully understood it all. Arthur was using what left he had of his magic to protect everyone from their failed predetermined death. He appeared to be in deep concentration and therefore no one said a word. The palm of his hands glowed slightly, matching the color of his eyes and the barrier itself.

Arthur began to mumble words under his breath, seeming to be in Latin but too hushed to be fully understandable. Within mere seconds the rocks that laid on top the barrier shot off into multiple directions, taking more with them and crashing into the ground, creating small craters. Light was revealed with each rock that left until they were no longer covered and safe.

And just like that the field disappeared.

Arthur's arms dropped to his sides in a rag doll like manner and he stared off into space. Then he started to sway back and forth before his legs gave out and his eyes shut as he fell. He would of hit the floor if Alfred hadn't swooped in and caught him.

"He's out cold..." Alfred muttered as he lifted the Brit up. The energy seemed to have been sucked out of him with that series of spells. Not only had he managed to conjure up an unbreakable barrier within seconds of an explosion but he also managed to rid of anything touching it and launching them out as massive projectiles. Now he was weaker than before and would need plenty of time to fully recover. But that was aside the fact. His magic had saved multiple countries. Had the ambush been a complete success, the countries would of died with their counterparts and their land masses would end up under Luciano's control. Millions of lives would be in complete danger and the world would likely become a hellhole. If Luciano wasn't overthrown then everyone would suffer.

That's what they were trying to prevent, and so far that wasn't working out for them.

"Let's get out of here. It was a hoax the entire time. No point in sticking around, more of us will just get hurt. As if we don't have enough wounded already." Alfred ordered. With the walls collapsed it made for a somewhat easy exit. Ivan did need a bit of aid moving over the rock and Antonio was still weak from the earlier onslaught. But they toughed through it and before they knew it everyone was out on the field again. It was now covered in rocks and bits of rocks. Along with them were shards of glass and bits of wood. It was at that point that they fully smelt the smoke. When in the protection of the force field the smell of the smoke seemed to be coming from the remains of the explosives.

But it was now with full coverage of the sky that they saw the thick black air gradually moving up.

It took a moment of realization before Alfred's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The source of the smoke was coming from no other than the log cabin.

The same log cabin they had left Kiku in. With the small man nowhere in sight that only meant one thing.

"Kiku!"

. . .

Maybe it was because he was a nation, or maybe he was just one lucky bastard, but the dash through the doorway was a near painless one. Likely the adrenaline rush had numbed his nerves and he failed to feel the burns. Or he had just ignored the wounds in general without much care. It didn't matter to him though, the second he saw the body on the floor all other thoughts faded away. The room was very well engulfed. Anything wood burned, anything plastic melted, anything alive died. The walls were either blacked, not there, or still burning.

Kuro blindly ran over to the body on the floor, hitting his foot on something and running through a smaller ring of fire.

It didn't take long for him to reach Kiku, curled up in a ball on the floor. His eyes were forced shut, half his face covered in a thin layer of ash, blood on the back of his head assisted with a bruise. Kuro watched him cough and squirm, moving his arms back and forth weakly as he tried to break the handcuffs, a futile attempt. He wheezed as his chest heaved up and down before he coughed again. That occurred after each breath, only adding to his pain.

Kuro wasted no time checking the handcuffs for any opening. Finding none, he resorted to lifting the table. With one quick burst after multiple failed ones the table lifted off the ground. Anything on top of it slid off and onto the floor and Kuro pushed it to the side.

He bent over, catching his breath after a few seconds before turning back to Kiku. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around the other's body, playing as a shield against the increasing flames.

Then, with the minimal amount of strength he had left, he lifted Kiku up in his arms.

He could feel his counterpart shake and nuzzle his head into his chest as he began to move. Going back the way the same way he came, the roof began collapsing. Starting in the back and leading down the hallway, Kuro dodged falling debris. Once a bit of burning wood landed on his left shoulder, ripping off a bit of his uniform and leaving behind jagged cuts. He hissed in pain but continued on no matter what. It wasn't until he entered the living room that things really started getting creepy.

First he felt something wrap around his ankle, yet he shrugged it off as his own foolish imagination and attempted to continue.

Instead his leg was roughly pulled back and he barely stopped himself from falling, ending up on his knees. He nearly dropped Kiku in the process. It was then that he looked down and saw two pure white eyes staring up at him. Whatever that thing was it smelled of death and had the appearance of a pile of black slime. The putrid liquid oozed from its pores and covered it's body in a layer of thick gunk. Strings of it left a trail behind, it's legs seemingly missing. The liquid also appeared to act as saliva as the thing opened it's mouth to speak.

"No one..." Kuro tried to free his leg but the monster's grip only increased, likely tenfold. It's soulless eyes never left his own, forcing him to stare back. It's maw gaped open, the black liquid creating strings that strung from teeth.

"Leaves..." The black slime started to slowly seep off the monster's face, acting similar to wax on a lit candle. It's pale skin was revealed as was it's razor sharp teeth and batches of hair. Only it's face was uncovered, the rest of it's body remaining covered.

"Alive." It was at that moment, as if on cue, that another monster dashed out from what appeared to be the bathroom. It let out an inhuman howl, standing on it's legs and pulling it's arms to it's side for a second before falling onto all fours.

It had the same appearance of the other monster, the gross fluids covering its body. Also having the similar stench of death. But this one was a bit bigger, obviously having legs gave it an advantage in height. And even though it had these it still resorted to walking on it's hands and legs. Maybe it just gave it a bit of a boost in speed but Kuro didn't care much.

He just needed to get away.

The claws on this one were much bigger as were it's fangs. Giving an even better reason to try and escape. That was, of course, aside the fact that the roof coming in. The monster charged, moving on all fours making its movement a bit awkward. It swayed back and forth as it moved and the faster it moved the more it swayed. More chunks of the wood fell down, sunlight would of been visible if it hadn't been blocked out with the thick clouds of smoke.

Kuro kicked at the monster at his feet but its grip never seemed to loosen. It was persistent and attempted to bring it's second arm up to double the grasp and give it's partner even more time to get closer. But it wasn't allowed to as a good bit of wood fell down, it obviously still being hot as via impact with its back the creature let out a screech. The embers appeared to slip beneath it's skin, causing the liquid to bubble and making it scream more.

This being an obvious advantage on Kuro's part, he let go of Kiku and grabbed the biggest piece of wood (Which would leave a good bit of burns behind) and raised it behind his head before he brought it down on the devil spawn. The wood managed to stick itself into the general area of the neck and the monster let out another ear shattering scream. He then removed it and jabbed it into the creature's eye socket. It didn't appear to bleed in any shape or form but it was in obvious pain and let go of his ankle in an instant.

But the other monster was nearing just as quickly and by the time Kuro got to his feet it was mere inches away.

He fully gripped Kiku again and turned to run. He was unarmed and in no condition to fight. Standing up only caused him to get a face full of smoke and he started to cough again as he moved. For a second his sight was blinded and he came to a stop, shaking his head and lowering it to avoid any more.

Then he realized his mistake that came back to bite him in the ass.

Something wrapped around his neck in an iron grip and he started to gag. He met the soulless eyes and realized that by stopping he had given the monster a good few seconds. Even if it was only a couple it was just the opening it needed to gain ground and get the jump on him.

Kuro refused to let go of Kiku even if he was being choked, but his grip was poor and he was slowly losing his fight.

The monster's mouth opened and he closed his eyes, expecting to be killed right there. Not that he could. A nation could only die by another nation's hands. This monster would, if anything, mortally wound him. And the fire would kill him off. If Luciano or one of his 'followers' truly did start the fire, then it would end him and Kiku.

Once and for all.

But the bite did not come and when he opened his eyes the monster was staring at him. It's mouth hung open before it closed again and this monster spoke, it's voice sounding much more human than the previous one's and much deeper. "It. Goes. On." The meaning of it's words puzzled Kuro, but later in time they'll come back to haunt him as both terrifying nightmares and great memories. Kuro stared back at the monster for a moment before his head jolted to look up at the roof. It creaked once more and slowly began to slump downwards.

It couldn't hold any longer.

It was at this moment that the monster threw Kuro back into a window. With the force of the throw he went clear out the think glass barrier, landing hard on his head and dropping Kiku who seemed to simply roll away. It was then that he saw the pure white eyes for a split moment before the roof fully fell in and covered them.

Splinters flew and wood crackled, embers floating through the air. It seemed to be over and Kuro couldn't of been more glad.

But it was at this point in time that he fully felt the full extent of all his cuts and burns. Burns covered his neck and back along with his arms, legs, and hands. The cut on his shoulder was no better as was the bruise he received on his ankle. That wasn't even to mention that he had landed on a group of glass shards that stuck into his back and made everything just that much worse.

Not being able to hold back all the pain, he screamed. The scream was so loud it would seem that it could be heard for miles out, scaring those who had least expected it. But in the distance

Luciano smiled.

Betrüger = Deceiver/Imposter (German)

Arschloch = Asshole (German)

Piccola Cagna = Little Bitch (Italian)

Uomo Morto = Dead Man (Italian)

A/N: Dun Dun DUUUN~
Friendships Crumble
Alliances Shatter
Secrets are Revealed
Questions are answered

And Luciano's still a douche bag.
So yeah, I ended up writing the last scene first and the first scene last just because I didn't want to procrastinate again. I guess this was fun enough, got to use some magic and some undead necromancy shit ended up in this chapter too. Gilbert's trust for Lanzo just went down the drain and now Lanzo is stuck between two sides, two teams. And he's trying to play for both but /obviously/ that's not working out for him. Luciano's got the Two-Ps in the palm of his hands and only two of them have actually managed to sniff him out. Which hasn't really worked in either of their favors yet. Yup nobody died. I lied to you people last chapter. I said it was a sucky cliffhanger for a fucking reason ya' know. Got some good ideas for the next chapter, I'll start working on it sooner or later. =.='

Ciao~